


I Got You

by Radipp



Category: Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:23:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2569706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radipp/pseuds/Radipp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherman always wondered why Mr. Peabody weren't married after all these years and he determined to find out why no matter what.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Got You

**Author's Note:**

> Also featured on Fanfiction.net under Fauntleroy and Walter. Reviews are appreciated.
> 
> This is basically my theory of why Mr. Peabody stayed single and seems not having any interest of finding love.

Sherman Peabody practically knew every ins and outs of his dad. If there was something that he didn't know, the redhead would always raise a question, and Mr. Peabody would answer it gladly, with  _too many_ details perhaps.

But there was a single question that had never been given a satisfying explanation by the father. The burning question that had been bugging the sixteen year-old boy for almost ten years. Every time the boy had brought that up, Mr. Peabody would always dodge it, or try to come up with a different subject. Even when he  _did_ answer, the responses would always be one-liners and didn't really satisfy the boy's curiosity.

Was Mr. Peabody happy? The boy had never seen his dad with another woman for his entire life. Heck he had never seen his father getting more intimate than colleague relationship with anyone other than the boy,  _let alone a girlfriend, or a wife_. Why he kept restraining himself? Why he never tried to find love?

"Why weren't you married?"

Peabody halted his clacking of silverware as he glanced at his red-headed inquirer sitting in front of him. "I thought we were over this Sherman, I'm not seeing anyone right now..." the beagle answered with his overused response, before taking another bite of his plate of steak.

That was when Sherman decided to make his move. There was no turning back after he back talked to his father.

"Maybe the fact that you haven't  _seen_ anyone for the past sixteen years really deserves an explanation." Sherman stated with a tone slightly raised higher than Peabody's.

"Sherman..." Peabody set his fork and knife down. "You know better than to raise your voice when you talk to your father..." He gazed sternly to his son.

"Well you might as well answer me." Sherman said confidently. Despite his heart kept telling him that he almost went out of the limit, he refused to stop. "Why weren't you married?"

"What is with you today Sherman?" Peabody raised his voice in order to gain power over his son. "You are not the type of kid who answered to his father, I raised you better than that..." He seemed to succeed in gaining control, because now, Sherman was cowered back to his seat with fear written all over his face. "If you want an explanation, well, I haven't seen a dog that is my type. Not that I expect another talking genius beagle to be my wife. In fact, I'm okay to be married with an ordinary dog. It's just... just that I haven't fallen in love with anyone that I met. Peabody explained.

"Well, why don't you try...?" Sherman mumbled.

"Try what?" The beagle raised an eyebrow.

"Try to find the one you love." Sherman added. "How could you want to find a dog you'll love if you never have talked to a single one in your entire life."

"Why are you suddenly being very interested in my personal life?" Peabody asked sternly. His son already meddled with something he shouldn't, it was best for the dog to establish some lines. "Since when you have become a love expert? I don't see you do any better than me..."

"Well, I... I basically knew you my entire life and it's just seem unfair that you have something that you hide from me. Is it wrong for a kid to get to know his father better?" The redhead used his best sad emotion that was usually irresistible to his father as he said that.

"Don't give me that look," the father stated harshly, somewhat still angered. "You've been keeping secrets from me too."

"How about you tell why you never try to find a girlfriend, and then I'll tell you one of my biggest secret?" Sherman bargained.

"What? Did you make a girl pregnant?" Peabody inquired sarcastically.

"No..." Sherman answered.

"Then I have nothing to worry about." Peabody turned his concentration back to the meal as he took another bite.

"Aww, please tell me dad..." Sherman groaned.

Peabody looked down to his dinner before continuing. "I said that I'm not seeing anyone right now, I'll let you know when I find one. But I think that I can manage to spend the rest of my life without finding anyone..."

"Aren't you lonely?"

"I got you..." Peabody's blood started to raise at Sherman's consecutive questions.

"Are you happy living like this?"

"I'll be happier if you stop bombarding me with all of these questions."

"Don't you want to have any Peabody puppies? I would really love to have puppy brothers and sisters."

"Again! I already got you, do you have any idea how hard it is to raise you alone?" The pissed off beagle took another munch of his steak viciously. "Please Sherman, I'm trying to have a quiet dinner–"

"You are gay, aren't you?"

Peabody chocked as he heard that out of the blue question. Sherman rushed to get him a glass of water which the dog gladly took. After recovering, the beagle shot a glare with his jade-green eyes. That was the time when Sherman realized that he had gone too far.

"What kind of thoughts makes you think of that Sherman?!" Peabody stated as he coughed once more.

"Well it's... it's just popped in my head," Sherman answered with a voice riddled in fear. "You are a middle-aged guy who refuses to get married for many...  _ridiculous reasons_." Sherman just blurted out words without thinking.

"I see..." Peabody slide his half-eaten plate away from him. "Thanks for making me lose my appetite." With that, the white dog took off from the dining room. And Sherman just sat there, silently surprised.

"You've done it again Sherman." the sixteen year-old mumbled out loud.

* * *

 After cleaning up what was left in the kitchen, the redhead did his homework for the night and watched some TV, while his father sat in the living room bar, drinking some kind of concoction in a completely unresponsive manner. Sherman felt really terrible after the event and his heart kept asking until when his dad would stop being mad at him. His personal record was a week and two days of silent treatment for smashing a computer with a baseball.

After hours of mindlessly flicking through the channels, wishing that his father would somehow recognize that it was beyond the boy's curfew and scold him, he finally gave up, turned the TV off and walked to his bedroom.

But as he passed through the mini bar, he looked at Mr. Peabody who was stirring the tall glass of liquor absentmindedly with his finger.

"Mr. Peabody, your steak is in the fridge in case you're hungry..." Sherman started the sentence with the softest tone he could manage to use.

"Sure thing boy..." Peabody replied, not bothering to look at his asker.

"Well, I'm going to bed, can you read something for me?" Sherman added, hoping that the father would forget that the redhead hadn't been tucked in bed since he was eleven."

"You're too old for bedtime stories..." The beagle answered with a hiccup.

"Okay then... Good night Mr. Peabody." Sherman walked to the hall with disappointment in his mind. But after he walked three steps, the guilty feeling started to swell up.

"Mr. Peabody I'm sorry for accusing you to be gay earlier." Sherman walked as fast as he could to the mini bar and sat on a tall chair next to Peabody. "But becoming really mad about it shouldn't be necessary."

"Sherman? " Peabody, reeked of liquor, turned his face to meet his son. The dog's glasses was skewed far from its usual location and his bowtie was undone. His eyes were in a deep red as if he was...  _crying_? Mr. Peabody never cried. He should be a knight in a shining armor with a heart stronger than steel. That talk alone had crumbled the dog to some kind of an alien that wasn't him. "What do you want to drink? I could mix you up a nice scotch if you're interested."

Before the father could reach to the other side of the bar, the boy already grabbed the dog by the shoulders and motioned him to sit down and look at the boy. The glasses were also put on its proper place. The green eyes seemed to be glancing at something far, as if he was losing grip with the reality. The dog might be drinking more than he should, not even Sherman had seen him doozier than now.

"Let's start..." Sherman started with a gulp. "It's... okay to be gay."

Peabody didn't respond, he just took another sip of whatever he was drinking.

"I promise that I won't be embarrassed of you, and I won't tell anyone." Sherman added, despite of the lack of expression, Sherman knew that his dad was listening.

"Sherman, I'm not gay." After a quick pause, the beagle stated clearly, it was nothing like the Peabody who offered his sixteen year-old son scotch a minute ago. His green eyes regained focus as the time passed, as if the dog could just command his body to be sober in a mere second.

"You know Mr. Peab, denying just makes it more obvi–"

"Seriously Sherman, I'm not."

"Well then. How come you can be so angry about it...?" Sherman inquired.

"It's not about the gay part, I know that it's just your common misconception of feeble deductions." Peabody finally explained after he took another sip. "It's more on the...  _'ridiculous reasons'_  part."

"Well what is the reason? Do you admit that you are awkward around girls?" Sherman guessed with a small chuckle. "I guess that it could be ridiculous..."

"What if your wife and kids got killed in front of your eyes, would it be  _ridiculous_?" Peabody sternly cried with a mean glare shot to his boy, who quickly lost his smile. Sherman couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Wh... What?" Sherman stammered. For years he thought that he knew his father by heart, but it seemed that there were plenty more to be discovered.

"I was married! And was expecting puppies!" Peabody put his drink down and folded his arms in anger. Sherman could tell that his father was beyond furious by the tone.

"I... I am so sorry..." the sixteen year-old whimpered. His didn't dare to look at his father's set of eyes. "But how?  _Why_?"

"Sherman, you will never be too old for another bedtime story... right?"

* * *

 

Three year-old Peabody huffed his steps as he ran with the speed of his two legs would let him. Not that he wasn't used of running in all fours, but it was more like that he preferred to keep his hands off the ground all the time. Besides, he was a carrying a seemingly large-sized bundle made out of a plaid hanky. It would just be safer and easier to hold it in his paws instead of carrying it by the jaw.

Peabody kept running until he finally reached the top of a small hill. A hill that overlooked one of the most majestic view the dog had ever seen. The midst of fall tinted every single blade of grass in various shades of golden brown, with the light breeze bowed it all down to its power. The water body of the creek successfully reflected the setting sun that dispersed the sky like a bucket of orange paint. All in favor of creating some kind of an amazing yet cheesy photograph that was usually displayed as a wallpaper on someone's computer.

But the white beagle was not here to enjoy the scenery. For him, his joy was not located in his current position, but in an old abandoned mill on the other side of the hill. It wasn't that far from there, only about a couple of short runs following the flow of the water that used to power the generators in its old days.

The beagle already lived in the rusty mill for almost a week now. From far, this abandoned place in the middle of nowhere might look intimidating and scary, probably ridden with ghouls and phantoms. But for Peabody, it was one of the best place to live. The greying wooden walls might be weary and musty and didn't really help in keeping the cold winds from reaching the interior, and the roof might leak in most of the places, but Peabody couldn't wish for something better.

As long as it could hold a roof above his head, and his wife's.

"Sorry I'm late Bonnie," the white beagle greeted as he pushed the creaky door open, just slightly enough for the dog to slid in.

The chocolate brown dog that was lying on a pile of straw located in a corner of the building raised her head slowly in response and then quickly returned to her sleep. Peabody just chuckled as he walked to pile and kissed the dog on the cheek.

Bonnie was her name _—_ A mix breed of a cocker spaniel and a beagle as Peabody determined _—a_ nd she was his wife. Well, not  _exactly_ a wife since they never had a proper marriage. But if a person could describe a marriage as an event when a couple who loved each other decided to spend their entire life together, Peabody could say that Bonnie  _was_ the one. They had lots of things in common, like they both were orphans, and they both thought that barbeque-flavored treats were the best. But there was one that made Peabody loved her more than anything.

They both were rejects to the world, completely didn't fit. With Peabody being a talking intelligent dog that creeped most of the people, and Bonnie with being  _slightly not perfect_ that made adopting kids prefer the next puppy better. Like Peabody, she was also cursed to have an unlucky fate. Her back right leg was deformed since birth and was cut away. Good thing that Bonnie was still able to walk and run, though with difficulties.

Living a life as a talking dog, or a three-legged one, were equally as hard in today's world that only demanded...  _regular dogs_. There was no place for the special ones here.

The pound life was not being an easy breeze for both of them too. Realizing at young age that they were both different from any other dogs, they pretty much got used by rejections. Day after day, dogs came and went, kids came and went, but Peabody and Bonnie stayed, rejection after rejection, until they finally got bored and even stop trying to be adopted. They quick to realize that it was better to spend their time in the kennels, doing other things, instead of begging to people who they know for sure wouldn't event think of adopting them.

After three years, they both left, deciding that their place there could be used better by the puppies that actually got a chance. Peabody left everything _—_ except his glasses. All his collection of books that he brought by collecting changes lying on the street were put in the shed, alongside a makeshift rudimentary computer he built out of scraps. He didn't need those things to be happy. As long as he had Bonnie, it was more than enough.

The white beagle laid next to the brown one as he unloaded the knapsack from his weary arms. The other dog noticed the sudden change in smell and began to wake up and sniff at the bundle.

"Here, I got us something nice for dinner." Peabody stated as he released the knot, revealing two pieces of turkey sandwich, a carton of milk, and slices of apple contained in a plastic bag. There was a small book there too, but no one paid attention to it. All eyes were on the food. The dogs had spent the day without eating a single grain.

"Well, it wasn't entirely me," Peabody added. "I finally had the courage to go inside the town's library. As it turns out, the librarians there were actually okay with me. One of them actually gave me her lunch and promised to give me more if I return again tomorrow, and read to the kids. Guess that I'll be book-ed tomorrow..."

Bonnie didn't respond, she just kept her eyes glued to the sandwich. But Peabody expected nothing in return. He was already grateful enough that Bonnie was there, to listen to his ramblings. It just was how it worked for the years.

"Anyway, it wasn't much, but it's better than the dumpster." With that, Peabody tore the sandwich in half and give one of it to Bonnie, who quickly munched it down. Realizing that it might not be enough for his wife, the white beagle gave away his half.

As Peabody did so, Bonnie stopped her chewing and turned her face to the grinning white beagle before resuming her eating.

"You'll have to eat for the both of us tonight dear, and for our pups. " Peabody said as he looked at the starving dog and her round belly. Regardless of Peabody also being hungry, Bonnie deserved more to eat a fulfilling meal. Besides, he was the one to blame for the growing babies living inside Bonnie's stomach, sucking most of the nutrients out of the poor girl like some kind of parasite. Peabody then opened the cartoon of milk and put it next to her, which she quickly drank as a thirsty dog would. But surprisingly, she left some of the milk and nudged the carton to Peabody, gesturing him to also drink something up. It might look like an intelligent act, but Peabody knew that it was basically an instinct made out of love.

Surrendering his pride to his growling stomach, Peabody sipped some of the milk, but also left something for Bonnie. After Bonnie finished her sandwich, they both shared the apples. And after the apples were done, they both just laid on their backs side by side, waiting until the beam of lights to stop peering from the holes in the walls. Waiting for the world to be finally dark enough for both of them to sleep.

"So how was our little ones doing?" Peabody raised his back slightly so he could get a better view to Bonnie's round stomach and rubbed it with his paw. Bonnie, who felt ticklish, began to lick her partner's face.

"Aww, come on... Bonnie... stop!" the white beagle cried. But before he moved, Bonnie already pinned his arms and kept licking. "Please... not in front of the kids..." The beagle could just threw her off but the thoughts of puppies inside her stopped him to do so.

How many would they be? Would they be as intelligent as he was? Could they talk? The questions ran through Peabody as he surrendered to the assault of love. If the puppies turned to be capable of complex thoughts as he was, Peabody would teach them all with everything he knew, from reading, writing, and building basic computers. But if they turned out more like their mother, the beagle would love them no matter what.

The train of thoughts finally stopped as he heard a low guttural sound coming from Bonnie's belly. But before he could anticipate anything, it was already in motion.

"Oh crud.."

* * *

 

Peabody, after cleaning up the mixture of turkey sandwich and pasteurized milk from his off-white fur, just sat there on the pile of straw, wiping some of the water on his glasses with a piece of cloth. Good thing that the river was located just outside, otherwise the white beagle would have to spend the rest of the night with a sticky coat.

The two just sat there in awkward silence until Bonnie leaned closer and nuzzled her head to Peabody, whimpering something that the beagle concluded as a sorry.

"No, I'm not mad at you..." Peabody said soothingly as he accepted the compassion. "Just promise that you will warn me before emptying your dinner all over my face." He chuckled. With that, Bonnie leaned her head on Peabody's lap.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." the white dog reached his knapsack that was within reach and pulled a thick book out of it. "The lady at the library let me borrow this," Peabody showed his significant other the cover of the book. Great Expectations, the book beared in thick block letters. But of course he didn't expect Bonnie to get excited over the title. It was just one of the things they usually did back at the pound. Peabody read her a book and she just laid next to him, listening the comforting narration as she drifted off to a slumber. Either that or his voice was really boring, it put people to sleep.

"The librarians said that if I liked 'A Tale of Two Cities', I will like this one as well." Peabody placed the cleaned glasses on his snout as he said that. "I already read that book to you back at the pound remember? The one with the French Revolution?"

Bonnie didn't respond, but the beagle couldn't blame her inability to re-access complex memory.

"Ahem, chapter one..." Peabody cleared his throat as he started. "My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip." the beagle smiled as he narrated. He knew that Bonnie didn't get any of it, so he pretended that she did. Listening to every words instead of...  _sleeping_?

The brown dog was curling on Peabody's lap with her eyes closed. It was barely one paragraph and she already dozed off. Maybe his voice was actually bored people to sleep. But it didn't matter, Peabody knew better than to wake her up and continue. Besides, it was finally gotten too dark to do any reading.

"Guess that we'll have to finish this tomorrow." the white beagle stated as he put the book and glasses down and laid his back to the pile of straw, with paws constantly caressing his wife. "I love you..."

Bonnie yipped something under her breath in return. It might not be anything, but the beagle pretended that it was also an 'I love you' saying.

* * *

 

Peabody woke up after noticing that something was not right. The warm feeling in his body was gone. He shuffled for his glasses and put it on, and quick to realize that Bonnie was gone.

Peabody wondered where his significant other might be. He looked around for her inside the mill, but failed miserably. But then, he noticed that the front door was opened when a flood of light flashed to the interior, along with a rumbling sound following momentarily.

Some dogs were born with the fear of thunder sounds, even Peabody. But after knowing that it was nothing more than a type of electricity formed by ionic reactions inside the clouds, there was nothing to be scared of.

Of course, Bonnie knew next to nothing about the situation, and like any other dogs and some ignorant humans, she let her fear get the best of her. Back at home, she usually cowered or ran aimlessly in fear after hearing a thunder struck. If only Peabody remembered that before selecting a home in the middle of an empty field where lighting could just strike basically anywhere.

He ran outside, only to find that his greatest fear had been realized. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen. The water leaking inside the mill was nothing compared to the huge downpour outside. Another lighting struck, and Peabody flinched at the sound it followed. That one was really near. Everyone who were brave enough to be out here might be fried to chunks sooner or later, including Bonn—

The white beagle couldn't even finish his thoughts as he ran in all fours to any direction. He didn't care about the mud smeared all over his front paws, or that the dog had all of his fur drenched. All he thought was Bonnie and how fast a three-legged pregnant dog could run. Besides, he needed to lay as low as possible in an attempt not to get hit.

He ran up to the hill. High grounds could prone him to more dangers, but also could provide an unobscured view of the area, and he couldn't care less for the former. Peabody looked around with his keen eyes and finally spotted a dog at the side of the a road, just below the hill.

It could be anyone, but Peabody would take the chances. He scaled down the hill with all his might and began his dash. After a while, he could make out the outline of the dog.

It was indeed Bonnie.

Sighing in relief, Peabody kept running to her. She just stayed there, cowering her head in fear.

"Bonnie!" Peabody cried, but the rain muffled the sound effectively. "Bonnie stay there!"

A lighting flashed after Peabody yelled that. His quick deducting mind automatically calculate the possibility of what might happen next. And the output was not pretty.

"Bonnie! Whatever you do! Stay!" Peabody yelled with every single power he got on his tiny body. But it was nothing compared to the sound of the thunder that came afterwards. "Bonnie!"

Everything when black in Peabody's eyes after that.

* * *

 

It was the longest fraction of a second the beagle ever experienced in his entire life. Everything was moving so slow as if you were traveling with a speed nearing the speed of light, everything stopped relative to him, and he basically could tell what was happening anywhere in the universe at that exact moment.

And the beagle desperately wished he couldn't.

Peabody looked at what was happening, but really didn't process it inside his mind. It was really horrifying. Right there, Bonnie was there a second ago, just in front of him. But after the loud thunder sound struck, she mindlessly jumped to the road. What he saw next was even more terrifying. A semi-truck was just happening to run at its max speed. But Peabody didn't dare to look at what to come. A knot forming inside his stomach stopped him to do so.

But the series of sounds caught by his keen dog ears already made him cringe in horror.

The white dog had to use all his might to stay awake, to stay conscious, not to vomit, but most importantly not to go insane. His mind wandered to the most frightening situation Peabody could imagine.  _And he imagined a lot._ Some were unbelievable, some were dreadful, others actually shown a glimpse of hope. Bonnie might actually survive. Though the chances were really slim, she still got the chance. Of course, Peabody would have to open his eyes to actually find out.

And again, the beagle desperately wished he hadn't.

"No... No... No!" He ran to Bonnie as soon as he saw her lying on the side of the road, but stopped midway when the truck that hit her stopped and pulled over. Realizing that it was not the best time to explain his current situation to yet some stranger, Peabody hide behind a rock, not too far that he could still observe the situation.

"Ted, what did we hit?" A tall and skinny teenager covered in hoodie said as he came out from the driver side.

"I don't know, you're the one who drive..." another came out, but this one was larger than the former, and he also popped an umbrella. The duo then walked to whatever left of Bonnie.

"Guess we hit an unlucky fella right here." The skinny one inspected. "Lookie! It only got three legs. Get the camera Ted!" He cried, and the other guy punched his shoulder in response.

"Do you realize that you just killed a pregnant dog?" The fat one said. His observation might be better than his friend's.

"Geez, you don't have to hit me." The hooded teen stated as he rubbed the sore area in his arm. "Well, is she alive?"

The other teen picked a stick that was lying on the ground and began poking the dog. "Nope, she's definitely dead."

Peabody who was hiding behind the rock started to lose his balance. His eyes started to water as he felt another twist coming from his stomach. This one hurt more that before. He already listened to something that he feared more than anything. He felt a bombardment of emotions formed inside his body, from sadness until anger all mixed up to tear his fragile soul. He desperately wished that he could just wake up and forget all of this, but somehow he noticed that it was all too common to be a dream.

He lived in a fate where every single aspect were being very cruel to him. Cursed to be intelligent as a human, but with the body of a dog. Born to the world without anything. No name, no family, no pedigree. Rejections, taunts, bullies, no dogs allowed signs, he experienced it all. Again, events like this were too common for the beagle. He shouldn't be surprised.

Just when he was about to find a glimpse of light inside his miserable life, just when he finally found someone who actually looked after him. Just when he finally found someone who loved him for who he was. Fate, being a big fat bully typically found at middle school, took it all away. As if it didn't know that it was something really important to him.

Peabody felt his blood boiling inside his small figure. This was where he drew the line. He couldn't let fate pushed him any longer. The boys should be the one who felt his pain, they should be the one who suffered. The beagle clenched his jaw as he growled. Right paw took his glasses off and threw it on the ground. The boys were within sight and more importantly, within attack range. He devised a plan. He would get the skinny one first, throw him off the ground, and then bite the fat one on his leg.

But would it change anything?

Peabody couldn't deny the reality that Bonnie was gone, she would not return. And biting those two boys was not going to change any of it. Who was he? Could he become more stupid? Trying to change fate by letting his wrath to get the best of him. It didn't worked that way. It had been done, and all Peabody could do was to make it somehow better.

"So, what should we do to her?" The skinny teen inquired, looking at the Bonnie's cold, lifeless body.

"Well, bury it." The one with the umbrella suggested.

"What for? She's just a dog..."

"Well, imagine that it was your turtle that died. Would you give it a proper burial?" The fat one seemed to be the wiser of the two. "Besides, a decaying roadkill that's left open is really dangerous."

"I suppose, well I'll go get the shovel from the truck."

With that, the two teen, in spite of the pouring rain, set up a small hole not far from the road. Peabody just watched them working from his hiding position. After it was done, they both lifted the brown dog, set her down, and covered the hole with more dirt.

"Welp, it was not much." the hooded one said as he looked at the mound of dirt.

"It just need a mark..." the one with the umbrella placed a stone on top of it. "You and your puppies are in a better place now." He stated as he patted the mound.

"Whatever, I'm going back to the truck, it's freezing out here." With that, the skinny one took the shovel and left.

Peabody placed back his glasses as he tried to inspect the grave. But he seemed to walk further than he should...

"Sorry about that little fella..." The fat teen with the umbrella said as he took notice of Peabody. His head was lowered and the beagle could sense genuine regret coming from his tone.

Peabody was startled. The teen seemingly wasn't surprised by the idea of a dog walking only with its hind legs and wearing glasses. The dog just stood there in silence when the teen walked closer and knelt down to his height.

"She must be someone special to you, mustn't she?" Unable to talk, Peabody just nodded.

"Ted! You're coming or what?" The other teen yelled from the car as he honked the klaxon twice.

"I've got to go." The one who was named Ted stood up. "Don't worry, you'll find someone. It might not be the same, but you'll find it!" With that, he ran to the truck. Leaving the widowed dog with the grave of his partner.

His words might be as corny as something that was quoted from a lousy romance novel, but Peabody kept that inside his head ever since.

The beagle released his glasses and wiped the tears that was endlessly forming on his eyes. Each bursting more emotions than what had the dog been releasing in his entire life combined. He felt really helpless, for the first time in his life he felt really weak. He was a resourceful dog, he stood strong in difficulties, he solved a lot of problems, but all of that seemed to be nothing when looking at his current situation. Muster all of his knowledge about life and medicine, he still wouldn't be able to change this. So he only did what he though he could only do. Cry. Cry like a little dog would.

But Bonnie wouldn't want him to cry, would she?

She wasn't the one who cry. She would always be happy no matter what. Cut her leg off and she would still be running. Bonnie might not be intelligent, but she was definitely a better dog than Peabody. Unlike him, she got that determination in her eyes. She didn't let fate master her, she didn't hinder in the sight of plaid.

If Peabody had been the one who was below the ground, Bonnie would still be strong and continue living.

After wiping his last tears, Peabody made a promise inside his heart. A promise that he would find someone or something that he would eventually love as much as Bonnie. And he wouldn't stop looking until he found it. And when he did...

...He would not let fate take it away again.

* * *

 

Peabody finished the story as he felt a coat of tear forming on the surface of his eyes, while Sherman, who was having a hard time processing this, just looked at his father silently, probably still surprised by his newfound knowledge.

"Well, I tried to find that thing I love ever since." Peabody added. "At first, I thought that my love would be knowledge and science. I climbed my way to it from being a part time librarian up to being a big shot inventor, but the truth is, I didn't find anything I truly love there. Might as well give up on that promise..."

"Well, some promises are made to be broken..." Sherman blurted with a small chuckle.

"What do you mean?" The father asked, which made the boy raised an eyebrow. "I kept my promise."

"No you didn't," the boy said. "You said that you'll  _find someone_ you love. But looking on your...  _current state_  of not being with anyone at all, I believe that you're actually done with it."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll definitely know if my own dad is dating a woman..."

"It doesn't have to be a woman."

"What, you're saying that you're gay again?"

"I found you."

Sherman blinked twice after hearing his father, he couldn't be more naïve than that. Peabody then bursted a small laugh at his son's obliviousness.

"I... I..." Sherman just dragged his words while trying to cover the shade of red forming on his face.

"Sherman my boy," Peabody said after recovering from his laugh "The reason for me not getting married was not about Bonnie. Sure I still remember her and sometimes cry myself to sleep with the thoughts of her inside my head, but never had once it stopped me from trying to find love."

The boy didn't respond, he didn't have to. The father then put both of his paws on Sherman's shoulder.

"You are my ridiculous reason, Sherman. The only person besides Bonnie that could single handedly steal my heart. When I look at you, I see Bonnie. I see the same determination in both of your eyes. I see the same smile that the two of you use while facing the cruel fate. You both make me happy just by being you. Sherman, you might not be the same as her and you might haven't met her, but I could say that... you are definitely Bonnie's pup, and I was more than contented to found you." The redhead smiled as he took the compliment.

"Geez, now I felt really bad for making you snapped out earlier." Sherman mumbled. He couldn't believe on how much his father loved him until now. "I'm sorry Mr. Peab." Sherman surprisingly embraced Peabody with a hug. "

"Well, I was also kinda overreacted back then. I'm sorry too." the beagle returned the hug that was really enormous for him, with Sherman being three times the dog's size. "I thought I had moved on and everything..."

"You must really miss her huh...?"

"Well I got you," Peabody released the hug and tousled his son's hair. Sherman just laughed. "I got you, and you got her living inside of you. It was more than enough."

"Guess that you won't be seeing anyone for the rest of your life huh?" The boy blurted.

The beagle just nodded and drank the remaining half of his drink in one gulp. "Sorry that I couldn't give the puppy siblings you want, but I will be looking forward to meet the Peabody puppies of your own..."

"We'll see..." Sherman said. "But in the mean time, I just need to stick with this old dinosaur of a puppy." the boy nudged to Peabody, who nudged back in answer.

"Well then Sherman," the white beagle stated with a hiccup. "Story's over, time to go bed. We got a booze-y day ahead of us... pun intended."

"Do you need any help? You took your last swig a little too hard..." The sixteen year-old thought that it was amazing how his dad could converse in full, comprehensive language in spite of being in a completely different plane of reality.

"I'm pretty sure that I can get to my own bedroom without any help." the father confidently said as he hopped down from the bar stool. After he landed, he could feel his heart pump faster, rushing all of the blood to the cranium area, spinning the world around him in accordance to his mind. He tried to walk, but it seemed that it only made him worse in each step. And by the end of the eighth steps, he fell out of balance.

"Sherman, please be a good boy and help me up..." Peabody instructed with his index finger pointed up as he surrendered to gravity. He chuckled as he picked his father up by the belly and held him tight to the his chest. The duo walked to the hall where the bedroom was located at the end of it.

"Guess that I'm in trouble huh Mr. Peab." The redhead struck a conversation after a while.

"No Sherman." Peabody surprisingly answered, which made the sixteen year-old almost sigh in relief. He knew that his father would not let him off the hook that easily. "Trouble wasn't enough.  _You are..._ in a... really, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, trouble. The deepest I could imagine." the father stated. "For making me drink too much."

Sherman just grumbled, wishing that the beagle would be too drunk to actually remember anything in the morning. But, regardless of the trouble it brought, he was actually glad that he asked that question, and forced the dog to answer it. Who knew that he himself was the one to blame for Peabody's absence in romance, but the boy couldn't have it any other way.

Because the most important matter was there. Sherman knew by heart that his father was actually happy.

"You know, if Bonnie is still living with us, you'll also be in a huge trouble." Sherman playfully joked. Peabody blushed to his current situation. Who could've imagined that the world's smartest and most amazing dog was currently leaning helplessly on his son's shoulder, being too drunk to walk.

"Well, just don't tell your mother, otherwise– _blurp."_ the beagle quickly covered his mouth with his paws.

"Mr. Peabody? Are you okay? Sherman noticed that his father's face turned green. The beagle tried to swallow the lump forming inside his throat.

"Sherman. Bathroom."

"Oh crud."

 []


End file.
